On the evening of September 16, 2022, a sense of normalcy was shattered by gunfire on Atwater Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Kenneth Cloud, a 46-year-old male from the nearby town of Seymour, was sitting on a porch when he became the target of a violent attack. Just before 9 p.m., as the New Haven Grand Prix was taking place elsewhere in the city, multiple 911 calls reported the shooting. Emergency services arrived to find Mr. Cloud critically injured.
He was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he fought for his life.
The shooting left Kenneth Cloud paralyzed, and for three months, he battled the severe injuries he sustained. Despite the medical care he received, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries on December 22, 2022. His death was then classified as the city's 13th homicide of the year. The investigation into the shooting revealed a brutal scene where a total of 43 shell casings were recovered, indicating the intensity of the assault.
The subsequent investigation into this violent act led law enforcement to members of the "Exit 8" street gang. A significant breakthrough came with the arrest of Donell Allick Jr., also known as "D-Nice," a 26-year-old member of the gang. Ballistics analysis connected two handguns to the shooting; one was found in Allick's vehicle and the other inside his home. It was determined that 19 shots were fired from the gun in his car, and 24 were fired from the weapon found at his residence.
Donell Allick Jr. was arrested on November 10, 2022. In August 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, which included acts of violence, narcotics trafficking, and gun sales. As part of his plea, Allick admitted to his role in the shooting of Kenneth Cloud, stating that he and other individuals were involved. In April 2025, he was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his participation in the murder and other gang-related activities. This sentence is to be served concurrently with a prior sentence for separate federal drug offenses. The investigation was part of a larger effort by federal and local law enforcement to dismantle the violent operations of the Exit 8 gang, which has been linked to multiple murders and attempted murders in the New Haven area.
